


Happy Endings

by Jestana



Category: National Treasure Series, RED (2010)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-12
Updated: 2012-02-12
Packaged: 2017-10-31 00:04:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/337698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jestana/pseuds/Jestana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Victoria and Emily have good news for each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happy Endings

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the fact that Helen Mirren was in both R.E.D. and National Treasure. Sequel to **Sisters**. I couldn't just leave them with an unhappy ending. No beta.

**Happy Endings**

The doorbell ringing insistently woke Emily Appleton from a sound sleep. Blinking sleep-blurry eyes, she frowned at the clock. "Who rings the doorbell at two-forty in the morning?"

"Someone who wants to talk to you, apparently," Patrick Gates replied, his voice rough from sleep. "Or something."

She rolled over to turn her frown on him. "What are you saying, Pat?"

"Just be careful when you answer the door," he reached up to stroke her cheek with his fingers, his expression tender. "I just got you back. I don't want to lose you again."

Smiling fondly, she leaned over to kiss him softly. He returned it with warmth, only for their early morning visitor to begin pounding on the door. Stifling a groan of annoyance, Emily pulled away from Patrick and climbed out of bed. Adjusting her nightgown, she grabbed the baseball bat from the corner and went downstairs to answer the door. She wasn't tall enough to see through the peephole, so she kept a firm grip on the bat as she opened the door. Emily could only stare at the woman on her front stoop. " _Vickie_?"

"Hi, Emmy." There was suppressed excitement in Victoria's voice, her eyes sparkling for once. "Sorry for disturbing you at this hour, but I couldn't _wait_ to tell you the good news."

Lowering the bat, Emily stepped back so her sister could enter. As Victoria did so, Patrick appeared in the entryway, wearing his slippers and plaid bathrobe and carrying Emily's. He stopped when he saw Victoria, his eyes going wide behind his glasses. "Victoria?"

"Hello, Patrick." Victoria glanced at her sister with raised eyebrows, clearly wondering what was going on with Emily and Patrick.

Ignoring the obvious question in her twin's eyes, Emily closed the door, set the bat aside, and crossed to her soon-to-be-ex-ex-husband, accepting her slippers and bathrobe from him. Stretching up on tiptoes, she kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Pat."

"You're welcome, Em," Patrick kissed her cheek in reply as she slipped into the robe and slippers. Turning back to her twin, she asked, "Did you want to share your news in here or the kitchen?"

After a brief moment of staring, Victoria answered her twin's question. "The kitchen, please, and it looks like I'm not the only one with news."

"All right." Emily gestured and the three of them went into the kitchen. Once there, Emily went to the stove to start the kettle. Patrick went to the cupboard and retrieved three teacups. In next to no time, they were all seated at the table with cups of tea. "What's so important that you woke us up at two in the bloody morning, Vickie?"

Her face lighting up, Victoria told her sister. "Ivan's alive, Em!"

"He's what?" Emily almost choked on her tea. Of all the news she'd expected her sister to share, that hadn't been it. "How can he be? You were the best shot in MI6 and it was point-blank range, wasn't it?"

Victoria nodded, her smile becoming cat-like. "Yes, but what I haven't told anyone is that I deliberately aimed too high when I shot Ivan." Emily raised her eyebrows when her sister touched a spot on her chest closer to her shoulder than her heart. "It _could_ have been fatal, but there was also a chance that Ivan would survive and it seems that he got that chance."

"How do you know this?" Patrick asked the question this time, his arm draped across the top of Emily's chair. "Has he contacted you?"

The smile faded from Victoria's face and she shook her head. "No, but I didn't expect him to. I found out because he's in the capital as a member of the Russian embassy." Her smile returned quickly. "It's enough to know that he _is_ alive."

"I'm very glad for you, Vickie," Emily told her sister sincerely, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand gently. "I know how much it's hurt you to think he was dead."

Victoria turned her hand over to return the squeeze. "Thanks, Emmy." She raised her eyebrows and glanced at Patrick. "Now what about you two? Last I recall, you weren't even _speaking_ to each other."

"Did you hear about the treasure that was found in South Dakota?" Emily asked, avoiding her sister's question for the moment.

A nod of the other blonde head, a proud smile curving her lips. "Yes, I seem to recall a certain nephew of mine was involved in that discovery."

"We all were," Patrick informed his sister-in-law, shifting his arm so it curved around Emily's shoulders, "Em and I, Ben, Abigail, Riley, and Mitch Wilkinson."

Victoria's blue eyes narrowed at the last name Patrick mentioned, "Isn't Wilkinson the one who came forward with a missing page from the Booth Diary?"

"Yes, he was, and he did it so Ben would go gallivanting off another treasure hunt." Emily shook her head in fond exasperation, leaning unconsciously into Patrick's warmth.

Looking from one to another, Victoria commented, "I take it that, whatever else may have happened on this treasure hunt, you two managed to resolve your differences?"

"We have." Patrick nodded, kissing the top of Emily's head. "We're going to re-marry as soon as we can and we'd very much like you to be there."

Victoria nodded, her smile both happy and wistful. "I'd love to be there for this wedding, especially since I missed your first one."

* * *

"Are you sure this is such a good idea, Bunny?" Ivan asked Victoria as the limo pulled to a stop in front of a beautiful colonial-style house. "Shouldn't we warn your sister?"

Victoria shook her head as the chauffer opened the door for them. "No. She already knows I'm coming and that's enough for her."

"Well, she's _your_ sister, so I'll trust you know how to handle her." Ivan climbed out, and then turned back to offer his hand to his love.

She placed her hand in his and emerged gracefully from the inside of the car. "Thank you, Ivan. I'm sure she'll like you almost as much as I do."

"Almost?" He raised an eyebrow at her as the chauffer handed Victoria the gifts she'd insisted they bring with them.

Stretching up to kiss his cheek, Victoria told him, "If she liked you as much as I do, then we'd have to fight over who gets you."

He chuckled as the chauffer climbed back behind the wheel of the limo and drove off. "I stand corrected. Lead the way."

"No, side-by-side, dearest." She slipped her arm through his and walked with him up to the front door, her heart pounding in her chest with anticipation.

They didn't have to wait long after she pressed the doorbell before it was opened by a tall, handsome man with brown hair and blue-grey eyes. "Aunt Vickie!"

"Ben! It's good to see you!" Releasing Ivan's arm, Victoria stepped forward to hug her nephew tightly. "Are your parents in?"

He nodded, stepping back to let them in, eyeing Ivan curiously. "Yes, of course. We've just been talking while we waited for you."

"Wonderful." Victoria smiled as she and Ivan removed their coats.

Ben took their coats and gestured down the hall. "Go on and join the others while I put these away. Mom's been waiting for you."

"We're going, we're going." Laughing, Victoria took Ivan's arm once again and led him to the sitting room.

Emily and Patrick were sitting on a sofa facing the door, so they saw Victoria and Ivan enter. Her face lit up when she saw her twin and she immediately jumped to her feet. "Vickie!"

"Emmy!" The twins met halfway, embracing each other warmly. "I can see you and Patrick are much happier together this time around."

Swatting half-heartedly at her sister's shoulder, Emily turned her attention to Ivan, who'd followed his love at a more sedate pace. Her eyes widened when she got a good look at him and she turned to her twin. "Is this Ivan?"

"Yes, Emmy, this is Ivan Simanov, my fiancé. Ivan, this is my twin sister, Dr. Emily Appleton-Gates, and her husband, Dr. Patrick Henry Gates." Victoria smiled as she made the introductions, feeling as if her heart could burst out of her chest with happiness.

Ivan took his soon-to-be-sister-in-law's hand and kissed the back. "A large pleasure, Dr. Appleton. Victoria spoke of you often, back when we first knew each other."

"She told me about you, too, though she neglected to inform me that she'd be bringing you with her today." Emily glanced at her sister with mock-severity as the doorbell rang.

Victoria only smiled impudently at her twin as Ivan and Patrick shook hands. "I wanted to surprise you."

"It worked amazingly well," Patrick told his sister-in-law, addressing Ivan next, "Though I have no doubt you could easily take me out, I'm still warning you to take good care of Victoria, Mr. Simanov. Her happiness is as important to me as my wife's."

Ivan nodded solemnly, though his eyes twinkled. "I have every intention of making her very happy, Dr. Gates."

"Patrick, please," the taller man quickly requested. "This is a family gathering."

The Russian nodded again. "Certainly, provided _you_ call me Ivan."

"And my name is Emily," she inserted with a smile. "Anyone who can make my sister happier than I've seen her in years is welcome."

Ivan bowed slightly from the waist. A completely different voice broke into the conversation just then. "Am I seeing double?"

"No, Jacqui, you're not," Emily replied to the redheaded young woman who'd entered with Riley Poole, Ben, and Dr. Abigail Chase, Ben's wife. "This is my twin sister, Victoria Winslow, and her fiancé, Ivan Simanov. Vickie already knows Abigail Chase, Ben's wife, and Riley Poole, Ben's friend, and this lovely lady is his girlfriend, Jacqueline Bonner."

Handshakes and greetings were exchanged all around. They were soon all seated and chatting away, getting to know each other. Even as she leaned happily into Ivan's warm bulk beside her, part of Victoria wished her children were there, too, celebrating with them. _Stop it, Vickie. You have Ivan, isn't that enough of a Christmas present?_ Properly scolded, she returned her attention to the conversation just in time to answer questions about how she and Ivan had met, and then been reunited.

* * *

"Emmy! Patrick! You made it!" Emily smiled and accepted her sister's delighted hug with no less delight. Victoria had been on a trip the last few months and out of contact. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."

Following her twin inside and leaving Patrick to carry their luggage, Emily replied, "We've missed you and could hardly pass up a chance to visit."

"We're not used to being out of touch with you anymore," Patrick added as they started up the stairs. "Where's Ivan?"

Opening the door to the room they'd be using for the duration of their four-day stay, Victoria informed them, "In DC to deal with some paperwork. He'll be back as soon as he can."

"Is there something you want to talk about?" Emily asked as she found the luggage rack in the closet and set it up for Patrick to set down their luggage.

Victoria raised an eyebrow even as a smirk curled her lip, "What makes you think I want to talk about _anything_ , Emmy?"

"You have the same glint in your eye as the night you woke us up at two-forty in the morning to tell me that Ivan was alive," Emily retorted, an amused smile curving her lips.

She didn't say anything as she led them back downstairs and into the kitchen. Both stopped short when they saw the two strange men and one young woman seated at the table. "Emmy, Patrick, these are my friends, Frank Moses, Marvin Boggs, and Sarah Ross. Francis, Marvin, Sarah, this is my twin sister, Dr. Emily Appleton-Gates, and her husband, Dr. Patrick Henry Gates."

"Weird, it's like seeing double," Sarah commented as the older couple nodded politely and sat down at the table. "No wonder Chelle thought you were familiar, Mom."

Emily and Patrick stared at the young woman in shock. Was it really possible? Had Victoria found one of her children after all these years? Frank noticed their stare and looked at his colleague and friend as she set tea in front of Emily and coffee in front of Patrick. "They knew you'd had children?"

"Emily took me to the hospital when I went into labor," Victoria explained simply as she sat down beside her sister. Turning to her twin and brother-in-law with a broad smile on her face, she added, "Yes, Sarah is my daughter and my son will be arriving tomorrow with his own family."

After a few more moments of gaping, Emily could only think of one question to ask, "You're a grandmother already?"

"To the most adorable boy and girl you'd hope to meet," Victoria told her twin with the sort of proud smile only a grandmother could have.

Exchanging a glance with her husband, Emily pulled out her wallet and extracted some pictures from inside. "These are Abigail's latest ultrasound pictures."

"Twins again?" Victoria commented with a chuckle, accepting the pictures and examining them with a fond smile. "When is she due?"

"She's _due_ in another month," Emily answered, finding Patrick's hand with hers. "But given that she's carrying twins..."

The elder twin nodded, handing the ultrasounds back to Emily. "Please let us know when she goes into labor. I don't want to miss it."

"I will." Emily carefully tucked the pictures back into her wallet.

A familiar Russian accent asked from the doorway, "You will what, Emily?"

"Hello, Ivan." Emily turned in her seat and smiled at the Russian. "You look even happier than you were when I last saw you."

He smiled as he took her hand and kissed the back. "I have been with my bunny. How could I _not_ be happy?"

"I quite agree with you, Dad," another voice added from the doorway.

Looking past him, Emily saw a handsome man with brown hair with a familiar woman beside him and two adorable children clinging to their hands. "Michelle Cooper?"

"Hello, Dr. Appleton." Michelle's smile was small and unsure.

Victoria eyed the young man with a stern expression on her face belied by the amusement in her eyes. "You told me you weren't coming until tomorrow, William."

"Dad came by with his limo and insisted we come now so we could surprise you, Mom," William explained with a crooked grin that somehow reminded Emily of both Victoria and Ivan.

Smiling as she stepped forward to hug her family, Victoria assured him, "You certainly succeeded at that. Now come meet your aunt and uncle."

* * *

Victoria held tight to Ivan's hand as they walked into the waiting room. Emily and Patrick were already there, as were Riley and Jacqui. All four of them looked up when the other two entered and a smile spread across the blonde's face. "Told you I'd be here, Emmy."

"Hello, Vickie." The sisters embraced tightly as their husbands shook hands. "I'm sorry you had to cut your honeymoon short."

She shook her head even as she stretched up on tiptoe to kiss Patrick's cheek. "We have the rest of our lives to be together. We'd rather be here for something that will only happen once."

"Have we missed anything?" Sarah asked, rushing into the waiting room with Frank right behind her. "Has she had the babies yet?"

Victoria shook her head as she hugged her daughter, and then Frank. "No, not yet, but it's still early in her labor."

"With the addition that she's carrying twins," Emily added as she resumed her seat with Patrick. "It took me a few hours with Ben and Vickie a good deal longer with you and William."

Ivan squeezed Victoria's hand in silent apology as they sat down beside Emily and Patrick. She returned the squeeze almost too hard to remind him that he had no reason to apologize. They settled in for a long wait, with William and Michelle arriving a few hours later. Ben visited between contractions to assure them that Abigail was doing fine. Then he didn't visit for what seemed like a long time. When he _did_ reappear, his smile was radiant, happy, awed, and shocked. "We have a boy and a girl: William Clark Gates and Charlotte Perkins Gates. They're both fine and so is Abigail."

"Or as fine as one can be after giving birth to two babies." Victoria couldn't resist adding the comment, remembering how exhausted and sore she'd felt after giving birth to William and Sarah.

Emily found her sister's free hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm sure she feels absolutely radiant and happy as well."

"Yes, there is that, too," Michelle added, still a little shy around Emily.

Patrick asked the question on all of their minds. "Can we visit Abigail?"

"Only a couple at a time and not for long," Ben replied, the smile never leaving his face. "The babies will be in the nursery after their first feeding and have been checked up."

While the others discussed who should go see Abigail first, Victoria stood up and led Ivan to the observation window. Her heart ached a little at the sight of all those babies. "Bunny?"

"I was just remembering when William and Sarah were born," she answered in a low voice, leaning back into his reassuring warmth when he slid his arms around her waist. "I was so happy, but upset at the same time. I'd given birth to our children, but you weren't there to share it with me. Just when I started to feel really sorry for myself, Emmy gave me a good talking-to and reminded me that you wouldn't have wanted me to wallow in my grief. You'd have wanted me to move on with life."

He pressed a kiss to her cheek. "She was right. I'd even have understood if you'd found someone else, but I was very glad when I found out you hadn't."

"Excuse me, but which baby is yours?" The question came from a young woman in nurse's scrubs.

Smiling as only a proud great-aunt could, Victoria told her, "My great-nephew and niece are William and Charlotte Gates. Have they been brought in yet?"

"They're on their way." The nurse gestured towards the door on the other side of the glass. "It'll just be a few more moments."

They nodded their thanks and the nurse walked away. Victoria turned in Ivan's arms and hugged him tight, breathing in his scent to reassure herself that he was still there, still alive. She felt him press his face against her hair and they stayed that way until they heard more baby wails coming from the nursery. Turning, they watched with delight as two babies were pushed into the room, sounding as if they were competing with each other over which one could scream loudest. Both agreed that they'd never seen a more beautiful sight. They left reluctantly to visit with Abigail. Neither had had a chance to watch their own children grow up and wanted to be there for these two children.

  


**End**  



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